"I said to myself I had to make that play somehow. I tried to stay back on the bag, try not to get in the runner's way, too, and try to pick it. In those situations late in the game, I can't just throw the glove out there and hopefully catch it. I have to stay back, big time. Eighth inning, we cannot give that run away."

-Jorge Cantu, Marlins first baseman, on his run-saving play to preserve a one-run Florida lead in Monday's 3-2 win over San Diego.
(South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

"That's what I've been doing all this time. I'm an American now, man."

-Jesus Flores, Nationals catcher, who has passed the time on the disabled list by reading Conversando En Ingles.
(Washington Post)

"After all he has been through and all the hours he and the medical staff have put in, it was good to see him out there and get a win. In this day and age, a lot of people would have shut it down. He wasn't overpowering, but you see he knows how to pitch and how to compete."

- Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti on the return to action of pitcher Jason Schmidt, who came back from 25 months of inactivity due to two shoulder surgeries to win his first start, 7-5, over the Reds on Monday.
(Los Angeles Times)

"His makeup is really one of the things that has let him come up here and compete. For a young guy, he's developing a feel for pitching very quickly.

"Every time we have evaluation meetings, the resounding theme with Sean is this guy just wins. He's done it in the Minor Leagues, and he's done it here, and we can see first-hand why. He competes very well."

"[Matt] Holliday's was the biggest home run we've had this season, but even before that, people in our dugout were genuinely feeling that this could happen."

- A's manager Bob Geren on the A's comeback from 10 runs down Monday night to beat the Twins -- the largest comeback in Oakland A's history.
(San Francisco Chronicle)

"He took ground balls yesterday. It was supposed to be controlled ground balls right at him, and then all of the sudden you see someone hook one down the line and he snatches it. Everything is going really good with him.

"We're still a week away from him hitting off the tee. I talked to him yesterday about maybe going down to Triple-A to get some at-bats, but he's still a little ways away. You watch him out there, he's working hard every day."

- Mariners manager Don Wakamatsua on the progress of third basman Adrian Beltre who is recovering from shoulder surgery.
(Seattle Times)

"The biggest thing may have been the distance. It's quiet out there. There's no third-base coach to talk to, no third-base umpire to talk to -- you're really not around anybody."

-Troy Glaus, who is getting some time in the outfield at Triple-A Memphis while he rehabs his right shoulder, on the differences between playing the infield and the outfield.
(St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

"I'll be honest with you: he's probably the most favorite manager I've ever played with because of some of the traits he brought to the team and the consistency. It was almost like a father."

-Jamie Moyer, on current Cubs manager -- and his manager when both were in Seattle -- Lou Piniella.
(MLB.com)

"I would have to say when a guy told me that I should start playing like I was the best player, start acting like I was the best player, and that would make me the best player. A guy told me that when I was in Double-A."

-Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh rookie, on the best advice he's ever been given.
(MLB.com)

"I've said all along: It takes three guys to throw guys out. It takes the pitcher, the catcher and the guy covering the base to catch the ball and tag him. It's a team thing, and we've tried to make it more of an emphasis the last couple of months. Guys have made a conscious effort to not let the other team run wild on us."

-A.J. Pierzynski on the difficulties and coordination involved in throwing out base stealers.
(MLB.com)

"Since May 12, I've really been hitting the ball much better. Anytime you have success, you are going to get a lot more confident. It is a long season, and you can't rest it on 100 at-bats, and I didn't want to do that with my first 100 at-bats. I was terrible at the beginning this year -- just terrible. I had one RBI in the month of April -- one RBI!"

-Brandon Moss after hitting a game-ending home run in the Pirates' 8-7 win over the Brewers on Wednesday.
(Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

"I've done it a couple of times in the Minors. The first two I should have definitely thrown out. The one at third was a tough play. I had to go down and get the ball. I'll take it."

-Ryan Hanigan, Reds catcher, after throwing out all three Dodgers who attempted to steal on Tuesday night.
(Cincinnati Enquirer)

"How would I come out [of the lineup with] the race this close and for the fans of Detroit and the fans of Michigan going through what they're going through with economics. If I went out and we were way out of the hunt [when I come back], you'd be pretty fired up if you were a fan and one of your players who was doing well, who was carrying the team a little bit, just bailed out and kind of shut it down. I don't want that on my shoulders. This team comes first, to be honest with you."

"The thing is to work hard outside of the days you pitch: running, lifting weights and maintaining a strong arm. Last season, I pitched the whole year and at no point did my arm feel tired. As the season went on, I felt better and better."

"It's somebody to hit at the top of the lineup that can play all three infield positions. It gives us depth. I'm all for that. We're trying to get guys on, and I've been juggling the lineup looking for a leadoff guy. He's a switch hitter, so I look for him to do a lot of leading off."

"I'm pretty sure it's going to be based on performance. If you go out there and you're hot and get a lot of knocks, then you'll play. That's not up to me to decide. I'm just going to go out there and do what I can tonight and see what happens tomorrow."

-Ryan Roberts, who was recalled from Triple-A Reno after Arizona traded second baseman Felipe Lopez to Milwaukee on Sunday.
(Arizona Republic)

"I was just going to step on home plate just normally. But they told me to throw my helmet. So I threw my helmet. I've never done it before, so in that sense, yes, it's a little uncomfortable. But I'd like to follow whatever the team's rules are."

-Hideki Matsui, through interpreter Roger Kahon, on why he tossed his helmet in the air as he approached home plate after hitting a game-ending home run Monday night against Baltimore.
(Newsday)

"To be honest with you, I probably couldn't even tell you what the first batter did. Maybe other than the first hit, the home run and the first strikeout, I just had so much adrenaline going that a lot of it was a blur."

"This morning, I felt like a million bucks. There were just a lot of emotions going through me yesterday, but I talked to Jake [Peavy] and Chris [Young] and a lot of the older guys about the experience, and they gave me advice on how to handle it. They told me to go out there before the game and look at the ballpark and everything and then just focus on the batter and the game. But when I went out there before the game, it was one thing I'll never forget."

-Mat Latos, Padres rookie pitcher, describing his Major League debut against the Rockies.
(San Diego Union-Tribune)

"He's got the makeup to do it. You look at his stuff, and just because he doesn't throw 90-plus mph doesn't mean he doesn't have any power pitches. He's got power in his changeup, power in his breaking ball and power and movement on the fastball."

-Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon, talking about being comfortable using J.P. Howell as the team's closer. Howell earned his team-high ninth save on Sunday and lowered his ERA to 1.97 this season.
(Tampa Tribune)